Tail Beyond The Great Sea
by KeyOrangePie
Summary: Tetra's life was always built upon finding treasure, until she finds a treasure that changes her rough and tumble life forever.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story, so if there's any mistakes I make please let me know so I can fix them in the future! As of the actual story, this has been something on my mind for quite some time. I usually would check for something like this, but surprisingly nothing came up. It's pretty much my own determination to try to finish this, so yeah. I just finished Wind Waker and I absolutely adore TeLink, so enjoy!**

In the Era of the Great Sea, sailors traveled the seemingly endless ocean, and naturally as sailors do, end up bringing tales of their adventures. Some of these were of the fabled merpeople that lurked below the waves. Many interpretations were made of them, but all could agree that they were legendary beings, and coming across one while being able to live to tell the tale was considered to give you great fortune.

A particular pirate by the name of Tetra heard of these tales, although she was always skeptical of the ones who claim that they saw merfolk, mostly to draw attention to their otherwise boring days at sea. But Tetra did not consider herself a sailor, more so along the lines of the most feared pirate captain among the seas; whose mindset was fueled by the urge for treasure.

* * *

The ship was sailing in the late afternoon, hearing rumors of treasure on an island nearly on the edge of the map. Tetra went with her gut that a secluded area was a prime area for heaps of valuables to be found, and was eager to get her hands on the potential riches, but also an opportunity to expand her knowledge of the many islands that inhabited the Great Sea.

It was not until then that the island came into sight. A small forest could be seen protruding out of the sand, and a large cliff covered the left side. It didn't look interesting on the exterior other than the cliffside, but to Tetra, this was an island that definitely held some secrets; possibly treasure from other pirates that

"Land ho!" Mako yelled from atop the crows nest.

As the ship beached on the shore, Gonzo, the most loyal of the pirate crew (although not the wisest), approached Tetra with an uneasy look.

"Miss Tetra, I know how you have your habit of going off the ship by yourself before anyone else does, but don't you ever feel like you may need another crew member to ensure the safety of our captain?"

"Tch, as if! You do realize that I very well can handle anything I come across!" she scoffed. "Now stay here and watch the ship. I'll go and find the treasure myself."

She grabbed her cutlass and proceeded to jump off the bow onto the soft beach. Tetra figured at least a sensible person would hide something behind that massive cliff, so she marched over until she was out of sight from her crew. Eager to get her hands on some treasure, she was prepared to face anything that stood in her way.

But nothing could prepare her for the sight she was about to see.

* * *

He had been stuck for what, maybe 18 hours? Ever since he washed up ashore, he'd been contemplating his death. At least he wouldn't die of starvation. No, he would probably die of dehydration first if something didn't come first and make do of his life. His tail was itching from the sand practically licking up whatever water was on him. Goddesses, all he wanted was to be back in the ocean again with his sister, and yet the waster was practically right there! Curse this human _thing_ that was trapping him! He just wanted out! And yet, he had his last struggle long ago. If he couldn't break free, then what was the point?

As he was contemplating his choice on admitting defeat, his keen ears heard footsteps coming from behind the cliff. It could be an animal. A large animal. An animal that would eat him and he would die food, of all things. Or worse a human. He could be caged, locked up against his own free will, and live the rest of his days being looked at and abused until he died from the stress. No, he couldn't live a life like that. His heart started pounding in fear. He had to get out! But he had already tried. His claws were useless against the thick ropes; his fate was sealed. That didn't stop his heart from drumming against his ribs though.

* * *

Tetra gasped at what she saw on the beach. It had cat-like eyes, alike to hers. But these were a sharp black unlike her deep blues. Its upper half of its body was human, akin to the likes of a boy about her age. However beyond that was otherworldly. A shimmering, blue-green tail. She couldn't see its full beauty since it was trapped in a fishing net, but she had no doubt on what this thing was.

 _"A mermaid?"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews and follows. I'll try to complete this story as soon as possible (mostly because I've wanted it to happen for so long). Anyway, there'll probably be a delay on when chapters come out because I'll be away from my computer for 2 weeks, so hang tight.**

He kept staring with wide eyes as a human came into view. Although she was pretty, he had no doubts that despite her looks, she was surely out to capture him into slavery for the rest of his days. And was that… a sword!? _Oh no…_ He couldn't bare the thought of being cut into pieces to be sold to different humans just to be a bunch of collectors items. He couldn't help it. He struggled with all the might he had left against his netted confines, desperate to break free. He couldn't give up, not with the life that was planned for him.

* * *

Tetra cringed as the mermaid, or rather mer _boy_ struggled against the net when he saw her. The poor thing. She didn't know how long it had been beached on the shore, but she felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy. While she may be cold and pitiless on the outside, Tetra was actually quite kind. Usually she didn't like to admit it, but at times like these, she felt like she had to take action. Especially towards something so human.

So she decided to approach slowly, hopefully he won't be anymore intimidated by her. But as she got closer, she realized that it was the opposite. He got more frantic and began to try to claw at her through the net to hopefully scare her off when she was about a yard away. Although she tried not to receive any injuries, she felt pain and found a gash along her forearm. Tetra cursed, but she ignored it like most of her previous injuries she had gotten over the years.

The boy started making noises and cries as he kept turning his head when Tetra got closer. She cringed again as she didn't really know what to do. She glanced around making sure no one was watching them, then bent down on one knee next to the frightened creature.

"Shh, shhh. Hey, it's ok…". She felt stupid, calming down a boy her age as if he was a baby. Even if they were alone, she felt utterly embarrassed and lost.

* * *

"Nnnn, nnnn!" he tried to communicate. He started bashing his tail around, refusing her attempts to get close. He had already scratched her with one of his claws, but she didn't budge. He could hear her still trying to shush him, but why should he listen to her? No, he wouldn't submit to this girl! Although he did like the comforting, he figured it was a cheap way of trying to have him let his guard down.

He was about to try to claw at her again when his eyes widened in fear. The girl was holding up her sword, with her other hand clutching the net. He stopped struggling in hopes that she would be merciful and let him live. But soon realized it was futile as he saw her sword come down. He held his arms up and shut his eyes tight, waiting for the pain to come.

But there was no pain other than the red sores on his body reacting to the ropes finally releasing him. He opened his eyes a bit and realized that he was free! His eyes scanned over his body. The red outline of the net was still visible, but Goddesses, _he was free._ He took one glance at the girl that cut him loose. It was hard to know what she was thinking, since she wasn't moving. The girl just continued to stare at him. He wished he could say how happy he was to be freed, but he didn't know how. He was from the sea, and she was born on land, and that barrier made it difficult for communication. He figured he should just leave, seeing as he couldn't do anything. And although she was nice to him, he still had a feeling that she wouldn't be the same if he met her a second time. A slight frown came across his face. Crawling on his arms, he dragged himself into the waves, disappearing from the girl's sight.

* * *

Tetra realized that calming him down wasn't going to help anything, so she decided to go straightforward and at least get the net that was imprisoning him off. She grabbed the net with her left hand and her cutlass in the other. With one swift movement, the net was sliced in two. However she saw the look of fear in the boy's face, and felt a slight twinge of guilt. He must have thought she was going to kill him right then and there. But there was nothing she could do anyway, she told herself.

Tetra took the time while the merboy was free to marvel at his beauty. His blonde hair contrasted to his gorgeous blue-green tail. The scales shined in the sunlight from his waist to the end of his tail. The fin was a classic V-shape, and a much lighter shade of blue than the rest of his scales. There were fins that also lined against the back of his arms, and a few light scales on his face, complimenting his black eyes and golden hair.

After what seemed like forever, the merboy frowned at her and started crawling towards the water. Tetra opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The upper half of his body was already in the water, leaving only his tail left to contrast the pure blue of the water. That beautiful blue-green tail was the last of him she saw that day.

She returned to her ship empty handed, too shocked to search for treasure anymore.

"Miss! Glad to see you're back safely, but about the treasure…"

"Nah, island's empty," she replied. It was partially a lie, because she found possibly the most beautiful treasure she's ever seen, and yet she let it disappear right under her nose.

Tetra couldn't stop thinking about the merboy. It had been about 5 days since she saw him, and yet it was still burned into her mind. She wanted to see him, oh she wanted to badly. But she remembered how the thing frowned at her before returning to the sea. Curse her damn existence! If she had said something…

There was no doubt she wanted to see him just once more, but she knew that was unlikely. If she hadn't seen him all her life until now, then what was the chance she'd see him another time? And yes, she was thirteen, but she liked to think that she lived a long time from all her experiences as a pirate.

Her head rose up when she heard the commotion outside. Apparently her crew was calling desperately for her. What now?!

She quickly realized when she saw a giant octorok raising its head out of the ocean. Her eyes widened as she went back inside to get her trusty cutlass, although she knew that it wouldn't really help with anything, it moreso just made her feel safe.

Tetra emerged to see even more panic, but she knew control. She stiffened up her posture and gripped her sword tight.

"Gonzo! Ready the cannons! I want you to load them as a defense! Fire them if you need to, but in the meantime, I want to steer for Windfall! Get as close to civilization as possible!"

Tetra cursed as everyone scrambled to their positions; she hated octoroks. They swarmed the sea with no other purpose than to bombard ships, and yet dealing with them was rare for her. She used the same strategy for the one other time she was face to face with one, however they only escaped in the nick of time.

She ran towards wheel in Gonzo's place, determined to make it out alive this time. The pressure from the water fought against her, but steady muscles and years of calluses helped her keep the ship at a somewhat steady speed. If she was so focused on the octorok, however, she would've noticed one of its tentacles heading straight for her. But the sounds of her crew and the overall stress on her mind drowned out her keen senses, and she was slammed overboard without even realizing what was happening before meeting salt water.

* * *

He was glad to be be with his sister once they were reunited, telling her of the frightening story of being caught it that fishing net and stormed upon shore, where he met a beautiful human that cut him loose. He still called himself lucky; if it was anyone else he could've gone by a much nastier fate, which made him shudder every time.

And now he was minding his own business in the middle of the sea. Swimming was the equivalent of taking a stroll in the park, except in the ocean you have a fish tail that could take you greater distances in a fraction of the time. And that was exactly that. Maybe if he was hungry he could find a crab to eat, but that wasn't his top priority. He had already regained the weight lost after nearly a day without food and water.

Noticing the chill of the water and the rough waves, he could sense there was a storm overhead. Usually this was the time when he would dive deeper to stay safe, but even after being trapped in a net, he was still going into boyhood, which means being considerably daring to check up to the surface again.

He was surprised to see a ship out in the middle of storm. Usually humans would check for storms first before sailing out to see. What surprised him even more was a giant octorok towered over said ship. And on that said ship was the same girl who he saw just a week ago.

And she was falling.

 _Plummeting, more like._

She crashed rather harshly on the waves, actually.

And by that time, the merboy was already rushing to save the girl that saved him.


	3. Chapter 3

Oh my fuckfbf god I can't believe I was inactive for an entire 2 months. Honestly I was going to be a lot slower until I actually saw more reviews. So thank you? This means so much to me and the delay was mostly because I was in a different country and I couldn't use internet. But also because I read one of the reviews asking for longer chapters, and I'm really pushing myself for you guys :) Expect a lot more fluff in later chapters partially because I also really wanted it to happen.

Also I'm not really proud of this chapter btw.

He found the girl sinking towards the endless bottom of the ocean. However he was able to pull her up to the surface again. Careful not to dig into her back with his claws, he hugged her securely to his chest, checking if she was conscious. He couldn't tell, but maybe she was alive, just maybe.

Using his hope, he surfaced up looked around for the pirate ship. His heart dropped when it was out of sight; how long did it take just to resurface?! Surely short enough that he could still be able to return her to safety…

But no. The waves surrounded him, leaving him with a girl who was dead or dying in his arms. Trying to find the ship would probably take too long, he didn't have much time anyway. He only had the life of someone he was indebted to at stake.

Looking around some more, he saw the silhouette of an island come into view. After that, he never swam so fast in his life. Careful not to submerge the girl any further, he pushed himself to go faster until the silhouette started taking form.

Almost… Just a little further…

He nearly crashed on the shore from the high tide, but he managed to keep his cargo safe the whole way through. He could hear his heart in his ears, and it wasn't entirely because he was tired. Worry loomed over him, the girl could be dead already! Maybe. He lowered his head to her chest, feeling faint beats, meanwhile his own slowed. So there was hope after all. A smile adorned his face, happy with himself that he was able to save a life, and not just any life, to someone he owed for saving his. But it wasn't over. She was still weak, and her breaths were uneven. And what if a beast on this island made short work of her? No, his decision would be to stay with her until he knew for sure that she would be fine until dawn came.

The tides eventually died down and some of the clouds slowly faded away revealing part the of night sky. Sighing, he crawled himself near the shoreline, just close enough so he would prevent himself from drying out, but not too far in where he would get swept away. Looking around, he realized he was at a pretty safe vantage point. Usually he rarely slept, but he was exhausted from the ordeal he went through. Burying himself in the sand a bit to make himself comfortable, he stared at the sleeping girl one last time before he laid on his side, and the night darkened into sleep.

* * *

Black faded to red, and Tetra soon came to realize that she was awake. She was still tired, so she left herself staring at the blood in her eyelids a bit more. But boredom and curiosity to where she was came to her. Well, she knew she was on land, obviously, from the sand she felt under her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and cursed at the sun being directly in her face. Holding a hand up to her forehead, she sat up.

Immediately she saw a form laying on the beach. Was he washed up here too? Eyes still adjusting to the brightness, she saw a deeper shade of blue on him. That's weird… Wait…

Curiosity was what quickly set aflame her mind. Tetra attempted to stand up, but a sharp pain in her legs prevented her from doing so. "Ah shit…" she muttered under her breath. How long had she been unconscious? Or maybe she was in a funny position while it happened. Still eager to examine the form on the beach, she stood up slower and took deep breaths until the last of the pain was drained from her body. Satisfied, she broke out into a jog. As she quickly got closer, she realized quickly what it was.

Blonde hair, blue tail, and human body.

The mermaid.

As much as she wanted to say to herself that she couldn't believe, that somehow by chance she was reunited with her treasure, a quick detail came to her.

He wasn't moving at all.

Oh goddesses...

Tetra threw herself onto his chest, desperate for a heartbeat. Her own beats slowed down after she felt a steady rhythm coming from the mermaid.

She brought herself to remember that she was up close with a real mermaid. Her eyes went down to the tail again. It practically sparkled in the sunlight, elegantly laid out in the water. Hopefully he won't lash out at her again, but just in case if he leaves again, she made sure to take advantage of the situation.

Her heart gradually pounded faster again as she reached out with one shaky hand. Sweat started to form on her palm, but before her hand was soaked, it met the surface of blue-green scales.

It was possibly the best feeling she'd ever experienced… Tetra was actually touching a mermaid's tail..! Her breaths were short and shallow, eyeing all the way to the end. She was hopelessly lost in the beauty of the merboy. The v-shape fin was still as she remembered when she first saw it. Her hand slowly approached it, until she saw it flap consciously. Snapped out of her daze, she turned to see black eyes staring, this time at her.

* * *

Blinking, his vision started to clear, leaving him with the cloudless sky of day. The first thing he noticed was weird stroking sensations on his tail, albeit it was quite nice. He moved his tail to hopefully scare off whatever animal was bothering him. He sat up and instantly realized it wasn't an animal.

Oh…

She was apparently spooked by his sudden awakening, because once she met his stare she froze with her mouth hanging open. He softened his expression and rubbed his eyes. He wondered what she was doing, playing his tail like that… Maybe she was bored? Or just wanted to wake him up? Wait...does she even know that he rescued her?

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. Was she scared? She didn't really look scared, but what did he know? He thought for a second until he remembered back to the time he was trapped in that human net. The memory came rushing back. He remembered how much he struggled and lashed out at the girl who was trying to help him. He could remember how his claws cut through her skin, and yet he was only making it worse for her, the one human who wouldn't harm him. How badly he hurt her while he was struggling like a dumb…fish! No wonder she was wary around him. He injured her out his own stupidity and she was the last one who deserved it, seeing as she was the one who freed him. He looked at the area where he struck her, and sure enough there was a pink scar in its place. Angry with himself, he turned over on his front and started to squeeze fistfuls of wet sand in palms. She probably wouldn't need to look at him anyway. He was surprised he didn't hate her, even.

Black eyes met her blue ones, and just like before, were caught in a long gaze between each other. She was caught red-handed, and assuming what happened last time, would probably leave her again. Except probably forever. But looking at his face, she didn't see disgust, it seemed that he was thinking. Tetra wanted to know what, but before she could even say something, he relaxed his position and stretched out his tail again. Which also caused her gaze to fall back to his tail as well. It stayed that way until she noticed a drastic change in his behavior. His relaxed expressed turned tense, he grabbed at his bangs and clawed at the sand. He glanced at Tetra and then flipped himself over, still clawing at the sand, but this time he made soft whines.

Tetra stood up in desperation. What the hell happened?! One moment he was laid back and then the second after he was a whimpering heap on the ground. Rushing over, she attempted to comfort him by stroking his head. It seemed to work until he glanced at her arm again only curl himself up even further. She looked at her own arm and sighed. So he was guilty… But it didn't hurt that much, and anyway, she'd suffered much worse injuries overseas.

She's just have to prove to him that it wasn't a bother, and more importantly, wasn't his fault. She didn't know how, but she had to try. This could be her last and only chance to spend some time and learn about the merboy, so she was ready to take advantage. Tetra didn't know why, but she had a strange feeling of wanting to connect with the creature. She never wanted to act like this before, and her consciousness was confused in a daze of new emotions.

The boy was still hotheaded from his realization, but he felt a rough hand on his shoulder and looked up to see those royal blues again. He almost looked away, but the hand moved to his cheek, stroking it further. Finally, when the girl opened her mouth, she spoke.

"I don't know if you can understand me, but if you can, well, I guess that would make it lot easier for us, huh?"

She waited, half-expecting an answer, but only received a stare.

"So you probably can't, but, uh... but just in case." She pointed her index finger to her face. "Tetra"

He understood, actually, but he never really spoke human languages before. He was so used to the chirps and clicks he made in the ocean, where other merpeople could hear him, usually his sister. But he might as well try. This human didn't look nearly as intimidating as before, and she spoke with a friendly tone. When she looked at him, she wasn't angry, even though he hurt her. As long as she wouldn't hurt him…

He copied her action as before, but said his own name.

"Link", he said warily, not used to hearing his own voice.

"Link?"

He nodded softly.

* * *

Tetra realized how awkward she was. Yes, she was now a teenager, but almost her whole life she was confident in her herself. Whatever she said, did or thought about was always with sincerity. But she was acting the opposite to someone who wasn't even human. Well, physically at least. It was weird. Soft feelings really weren't her forte, except when she thought of her mother. Her heart was still pounding at the moment being with the boy, and now she finally got to know his name.

Now that she wasn't glamorizing over his lower half, she took the time to look at the specific features of his human half. His eyes were a pitch black, but they were beautiful. She could clearly make out her reflection in them. They were still bloodshot from the crying, but it hardly mattered in tarnishing him. His skin was also lighter in contrast to her golden brown tan, but he wasn't pale either. Looking down to his middle, the scales and skin merged, forming a blue glittery shine. And his hair was a yellowish blonde, like hers.

Tetra realized that not only his tail was beautiful, everything about him was beautiful. Even when she touched his face, his skin was baby soft. He was perfect. Knowing his name only made her want to know him even more. Did he know how she ended up here? What if he didn't like her because she was human?

She could tell from their surroundings that they were on Greatfish Island, which made her breathe a big sigh of relief. At least she didn't stray too far from where she last remembered or possibly off the map.

But now she was stuck here with only the merboy to keep her company. It looked like he couldn't speak a lot, but it was a lot better than being alone.

"Do you know how I ended up here?" The merboy- Link, gave a jolt. He turned towards Tetra and nodded softly.

"Did you have something to do with it?" He nodded again. Did he follow her while she was unconscious? Thoughts were swimming in her head now. What would he be doing following her? Wait, then if she was in the middle of the ocean, she would've drowned. Unless...

"Saved you," were the words that came out his mouth.

Her mouth hung open as she tried to come up with a response. The merboy saved her!? And after all this time she thought he never wanted to see her again. The thought of how exactly did he save her didn't even cross her mind. But an idea popped in her mind.

"Hey, if you want…" she began. "You know, I have a ship… and maybe you could, uh, well, stay with me for a bit there," came out a low mutter. She half-regretted her decision, because for all she knew, he could easily be frightened at the offer and think he'll be taken as a collector's item just to be sold or looked at. In fact, she didn't even know why she bothered, but at the same time she did. Link was something more than a collector's item, he was alive and had a personality. And she needed to know what it was. If he stayed, she could eye his beauty and everything inside too.

* * *

He took in what she said. Stay? On a boat? But there were other humans on that boat. No… He couldn't… He was always afraid of humans more than the gyorgs and octoroks that lurked in the sea. He feared the way they shaped the land and how much more smarter they were than him. What about his sister? He hadn't seen her for two days straight and already he was getting antsy. Aryll was growing up, and he left her on her own before, but two days was a stretch. Link needed to be back in the ocean to make sure she was okay. He was her guardian, but also all the family he had.

"I-I'm sorry. I can't stay. Someone special in the ocean," he mumbled.

"Someone special?"

"Maybe I'll see you again. I don't know."

"Wait-"

He saw Tetra reach into her pocket and pull out a necklace that encased a glowing blue stone in twine.

"If you ever want to see me again, you can talk to me using this. We can always meet here if you want...or somewhere else is fine. I don't think using it underwater will work though. And if you change your mind, just leave it here. I'll find it."

She looked a bit sad when she said that last part, he noted. Before he could say anything, calloused hands put the necklace around his head until the stone lay on his chest.

"Keep it safe, ok? I haven't lost it yet," she said with a bittersweet smile. "You can meet that special person now, I guess."

"Will you be ok?" he said quietly.

"I'll manage. I think I see my ship in the distance, so you better get going."

"Ok. Goodbye Tetra," he said as the tide came in. Crawling to give him some depth, he pushed himself into the water and disappeared into the tide once more.

Tetra sighed. It seemed like whenever he appeared into her life, he'd always disappear. But she had to take the chance. It was a powerful but mysterious urge. Would he even talk back to her through the gossip stone? She hadn't had time to wonder how she was rescued from drowning, but now she was getting curious.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay, but I think the best rate I can upload chapters is once per month. Also, I consider Link to be mildly self-depreciating.**

"M-Miss Tetra! Are you alright!? Are you injured in any way!? Do you feel sick!?"

She made a playful scoff and smiled. "It takes more than a heavy rain and some waves to bring the Queen of the Seas down, Nudge. Of course I'm alright." Although, it was technically Link who saved her. She didn't know what would've happened to her if he wasn't there.

"W-We saw you fall over the side of the ship! And we tried looking for you but you weren't anywhere! I thought you were dead for sure!" Niko cried.

"We followed your last orders, miss. The mast of the ship was cracking, and we had to get to land fast. So we set for Windfall until we could search for you again. I...I hope that's what you would've wanted us to do…"

Tetra was surprised to hear Gonzo, of all people, so calm and collected. And her crew followed her orders even when she wasn't present. Well, she guessed there was a reason her mother hired them after all.

"I'm...impressed with your performance while I was gone. You guys get the day off today. I'll be on deck keeping watch if you need me."

"Yes, Miss!" they all said in unison. She could hear their excited conversations as they went below deck. Probably off to drink a few bottles of gin or something.

She climbed onto the crow's nest to find solitude, closed her eyes and concentrated her thoughts onto the gossip stone she gave Link.

"Hey, Link, are you there?"

 _Silence._

"If you changed your mind on whether or not you want to stay with me, I would like to know."

 _More silence._

"I could always take that necklace back…" she said quietly as her voice started to get wary.

She waited for about several seconds, realizing that he left her forever because she was stupid enough to invite him over on her ship. Of course he would leave the gossip stone on the bottom of the ocean. Probably according to him, it would have sounded like she was inviting him to be contained and looked at for the rest of his life. Sure, he was nice to her, but that was because he didn't want to provoke her into a reason to _drag_ him onto that boat. She hated her tough personality sometimes.

"Tetra? Is it you?"

Her entire body shook as she heard his voice channel into her head. He talked to her!?

"Link?"

"Hello, Tetra. I had to get up to the surface to talk to you, like you said. I do not see any ships nearby, so it's safe."

"Oh. Well okay. I'm glad you're safe, I guess."

"I made up my mind when you said you wanted me to stay on your ship."

"Wh- Really? I, uh-"

"I will stay for a little bit, but I want to be able to get back in the ocean after. I don't want anyone else seeing me… please."

"Um. Sure. You're welcome to come over. I just wasn't expecting you to say yes."

"Why?"

"It's nothing. Are you coming today?"

"...Yes. Today."

"Uh, that's good I guess. How are you going to find the ship though?"

"Do not worry. I will find your ship. Goodbye, Tetra."

"Bye Link."

She felt the connection break and opened her eyes. Her hands were sweaty and her heart was pounding. It was practically a bombardment of surprises dumped on her. First, he actually said _yes_ to spending time with her on the ship, and second, he's going to come _today_.

Tetra spent the rest of her time on deck trying to figure out where Link would go on the ship. Because after all, he was still half fish. And she noted how he had to stay near the shore on Greatfish so he wouldn't dry out. How could she put water on the ship?

The drinking water barrels were out of the question. Even though they were surrounded by water, it was obvious that they still needed to stop by Windfall to get water her crew could actually drink. Besides, she felt a hunch that a saltwater creature wouldn't do well in freshwater.

So that idea didn't work, but she felt like she was going on the right idea with a barrel. She grabbed an empty barrel near the now end of the ship and tied a rope around it, making sure that the knot was tight. Heaving it over the side of the ship, she let it sink and fill with water. She struggled a bit to pull it up to the deck now that the barrel was filled with water, but she managed to get it up without much trouble. Yes, this would be big enough for Link to sit in. She was lucky he was a boy, and not a fully grown man.

Now that she took care of that, she wondered _where_ he would go. The crew would mostly stay below deck, but there's no telling if they'll come up on deck to report that Gonzo got too drunk or something. She wanted to keep her promise to not let him be seen by anyone but her.

She realized how good that sounded. A secret that only _she_ would know, a beauty that she would only be able to speak to and see. And somehow it felt more special than being able to travel across the Great Sea for adventure.

So she thought of secluded areas on the boat where only _Tetra and Link_ could be. The storage room would be a bit weird, and the other pirates could always barge in looking for some more liquor. Her room? Actually, yes. It was quiet and secluded, and none of the other crewmates would _dare_ to go in there. And anyway she had a changing curtain she could hide the merboy behind if any of them suddenly had the balls to barge in from their drunken stupor.

Tetra was already lugging the heavy barrel to her room when she suddenly heard a quiet voice in her head.

"Tetra? I'm here."

"Ah- Link. I'll be in there in a minute. Just sit tight ok?"

"Sit? Where?"

"I mean, just wait for a bit."

She huffed as a bead of sweat dropped down her face. She knew how heavy water was, but carrying an entire _barrel_ of it was another story. She was glad when she finally went down the flight of stairs so she could push it to into her room.

When she arrived back on deck, she was more eager than ever before to meet the merboy again. Looking over the railing, she could see him looking back up at her. Her breath quickened a little bit seeing his big cat-like eyes staring back at her. Although there was one problem… She didn't know how to get him up. His eyes were still looking at her patiently, waiting for the almighty Tetra to come up with a brilliant solution.

Hastily, she threw over a rope near him. Link tried to climb up, but his hands slipped from the water.

"Link, can you hold on tight?" she called.

His attention shifted to her, and she could see his hands grasp firmly around the rope. Taking a deep breath, she pulled him up, inch by inch. He was much lighter than a barrel, but goddesses, her muscles ached like HELL. She sucked it up though. No need to be weak when she was going to be able to spend time with a mermaid.

She felt him slip a little here and there, but for the most part he held on. Finally, she managed to pull him over the railing and onto the ship. She saw how he dug in his claws in the rope to keep him from slipping. One detail that set in was he was a little but wary, checking around to make sure nobody else was nearby. _I guess he gets more nervous on land. He can't really move quickly after all._

Oh right. He can't move. Well technically he could. But she felt like if he crawled all the way to her room, he would get a pretty nasty burn on his tail from grinding on the dry wooden floors. Tetra sighed. As if her arms didn't suffer enough already.

* * *

"Tetra, I-"

Link yelped as strong arms reached under him and lifted him up. If he wasn't so oblivious to human culture, he would've known he was being carried like a girl, almost like a bride. Her hands shook a little, but eventually stopped and relaxed. At the same time, they entered a somewhat large room that contained a few staircases. So humans _did_ know how to get up and down places. But the place where the stairs went further down was noisy with human voices. He stiffened up a bit.

He instead chose to focus on his bangs bouncing motions as Tetra carried him down a flight of stairs and toward a room covered up with curtains. Just as they went through, he reached out to feel the velvety surface of one. So soft.

The smaller room was actually quite charming. It had a bed, and some cabinets. There were a few pictures of people he didn't know. And another curtain in the room, that was covered by curtains, which he thought was quite cute. He realized he was being taken behind the curtain though, where he saw a barrel filled with water. He looked back at Tetra, who beckoned him to go in. Carefully, he slid off her arms and into the water. So she did this for him? That was...nice. Although it was a bit cramped for his tail, he didn't want to complain.

* * *

Tetra's arms were sore, and she was pretty sure if Link was any heavier they would fall off. At least he was light. She looked around the room and found a chair to pull up beside him.

"Tetra? Are you okay? You're all red and you're leaking water!"

"I'm just tired from carrying stuff. And it's just sweat," she said flatly.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, but I feel hot."

The merboy scooped some water from his barrel and smeared it across her face. She closed her eyes as the water ran down her face, while his hand pulled away. "Wh-"

"So you're not hot anymore."

She was silent for a moment, then chuckled. His naivety was amusing, but at the same time, it actually touched her a little bit. All this time she was afraid of him being heartless and running away from her, but he was so sweet now. She really had nothing to worry about.

But now they were alone, and his big black eyes kept staring at her curiously. It was the perfect time to ask the question she was thinking about.

"Link, who's the special person in the ocean?"

He smiled, and goddesses, it was adorable. She couldn't tell if her cheeks were tingling because she was still hot and sweaty, but either way, she felt the same. He was happy. She made him happy.

"Ah, well, the special person is my sister. She's younger than me." Wait, he had a sister? Well, it wasn't as bad as a lover. But it was nice to know more about him.

"She is growing up, so I can leave her alone for a little bit, but I still have to be with her," he said. His speech was all choppy and a few times he paused trying to think of what to say.

"Don't you have a mother?"

"Our mother left us when we were little. I think that is normal."

Tetra was a bit taken aback. Normal? Did he not know that she could've _died?_ Or left him out of cruelty! The merboy was so human that surely, his kind would have humane ways of raising their young.

She gulped. "Your father?"

"I remember my mother saying that our father got sick and died. I never saw him though, so I don't know. I think that's why the only other kind of being I ever saw is my sister."

Her body stiffened at this new information. So his kind were dying out… That means him and his sister could be the only ones left. It was chilling to her, to say the least.

"I'm sorry, Link."

He threw his hands up and shook his head. "No! No! You don't have to be sorry! Aryll and I do ok! We're happy!" He did his best to put on a smile, and his face lit up when Tetra's frown was gone.

"Tetra… Do you have a mom?"

She flinched suddenly and looked down at her feet. Should she tell him? It wasn't like he had many people to spread the truth to, but goddesses, if she told him, she'd probably cry again.

"I'll tell you another time, when we've talked more."

* * *

He was silent for a moment, but then he nodded. His gaze slowly averted to a shiny object leaned against the wall of her room. It looked like it was silver, but it also shined.

"Tetra! What's that?" A hand extended outward from the barrel he was in, and soon half of his body was leaning out, with the barrel barely supporting itself.

She looked in the direction he was outstretched to. "Oh that? It's a mirror. I use it when I need to see my reflection."

Although he wanted to ask what a reflection was, he was too busy wanting to _see_ a reflection.

"Tetra! I want to see your reflection! Take me!" he gasped. Not long after that, he started making chirps and squeals. Link heard a chuckle from the girl and she stood up, her arms were held out for him, signaling for him to climb in her grasp. He happily obliged, doing the best he could to jump without legs. It was a short walk to the mirror, but it was nice to be in her strong arms again. He felt safe.

Link realized that the mirror wasn't silver at all, but it looked almost clear. There were a few scratches here and there, but he still was shocked at what he saw.

He could see what looked like.

He knew he had blonde hair, he knew what his upper body looked like; lean, but not so muscular that you could clearly see his muscle lines either, he knew his tail was blue and scaly. But for the first time in his life, he could see his face.

He reached out and saw a hand in the mirror that corresponded to his, but he didn't feel his hand when he touched it. Instead, he felt cold glass. Link dropped his arm down to look at his face. He could see that his reflection's eyes were black, which probably meant that his eyes were black too. But right now they were sparkling with fascination. A hand went to brush a bit of his hair behind his ear and he smiled. It wasn't narcissism, but he was rather fond of how his face looked like. The merboy liked his boyish features and his black eyes.

Link could also see that Tetra was still carrying him. She was quiet the entire time he stared at himself, allowing him to drink up his reflection. He looked at her in the mirror, carrying him with toned arms. That was something he admired, he realized, and it made him a bit jealous. If only he was strong too...

Her eyes, unlike his, were a sapphire blue. And he thought yet again, that she was better than him. His eyes were blank and colorless, while hers with glistening jewels. In a way he was happy for himself, but also envious and saddened that he wasn't as good as Tetra. He remembered the first time he saw her; he even admired her then.

Her hair was also tied in a bun that was perched near the back of her head. It made her more dignified, he thought. She was well deserving of the respect if she was a captain.

Link sighed inside his head. If Tetra was this strong and beautiful, he wondered why she would ever want to be with _him_. He barely had any muscle, he wasn't as dignified as her, and he was just something she picked up from the sea. He was a mermaid, just surviving in the ocean with his sister, eating fish and mollusks and other slow sea creatures, while Tetra; she was a pirate. Her life was exciting, because she didn't have to worry about survival. She was a human who got to do her own things, and make her own personality.

He suddenly turned to face Tetra. The REAL Tetra, not her reflection.

"Why did you invite me to come here?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay on this chapter. Chapter 6 is being written right away!**

Tetra stared at him. Why? Of course she would want him on her ship! He was a mythical creature that she only heard rumors about at taverns on Windfall. She heard how people would pay thousands of rupees just to see one. And she heard drunken sailors talk about "how they were enticed by one".

But Link would never be for sale. She admitted she was greedy, she was a pirate after all, but she felt herself getting attached to him more and more. And now pity was added onto the plate as one of many things she felt for him. It was simple, really; she wanted Link to be her's. She wanted to be the only one to talk to him, the only one who would know his feelings, the only one who would ever know about him. To tell to truth, she _was_ getting enticed. His choppy sentences hardly bothered her at all, because she could hear his chirps. And it's not like she could blame him for his uneven speech; he looked like he hardly talked at all. It was a miracle he could even understand her. Tetra never believed in fate, but now it felt like it.

She swallowed and looked away. "You know how you use words to describe what someone is, like how they look or what their personality is?" There was a small nod in response. "Well," she heaved a sigh, "I think you're beautiful."

"Beautiful?"

"Do you know what that means?"

"It means pretty, right? You think I'm pretty?"

"More than just pretty."

"Why do you think I'm pretty?"

Where should she start? She looked down at the boy in her arms, trying to see what to focus on. "Your tail. The color is beautiful. When I first released you from the net you were in, I immediately thought your tail was fascinating. It looks like glitter, kind of like the stars. And your eyes too. They're dark like the nighttime."

His mouth was open wide in shock. Instantly she was worried if she made him nervous, or hint that she'll lock him up in a tank. But what he said back was much better than either.

"Y-You're beautiful too."

At this point, she did a double take. Did she say that? No wait, it said "too". It can't have been her. It was from him…

"You think I'm beautiful?" she barely made out.

"Your eyes are beautiful," he said with a small smile. "Mine are only black, but yours are blue! I like color in your eyes."

She wanted to squeeze him tightly and hug him until she wore out her arms even further. Link thought she was beautiful. Link, the mythical legend from the Great Sea, thought Tetra was beautiful. She wasn't one to care about her physical appearance that much, but the fact that he admired her was enough to make her head hurt from confusion. But it was a good confusion.

He focused her attention back to the moment at hand when he waved a webbed hand in her face. Her eyes snapped back out of their temporary daze.

"Tetra. Water."

"What?"

"I'm getting itchy. Can't dry out. Hurts."

"Oh right! Uh-"

She rushed him back behind the curtain where his barrel was and dumped him in. She wanted to slap herself for leaving him outside of the water for so long. Does that count as hurting him? Probably not, but she still felt a little bad. Tetra was just relieved he told her. Why was she lingering on these things for so long? This really wasn't like her. Had she been wrong about her personality for her entire life? It would be weird, and just unsettling to her. It's like Link opened up all these new thoughts and traits about herself that she didn't know about, and didn't like to think about either.

* * *

The merboy was staring at her curiously, trying to read her emotions. It was hard to read her sometimes. She often hid what she was feeling and contained it inside of her unless it was a wink or a cocky grin. From what he could tell, her shoulders were drooped, and she was looking down. Disappointment maybe? No. It looked like something more, but he couldn't put a finger on it.

Tetra was complicated, but he liked her for that. It made her mysterious and secretive. He admired her for being able to keep her feelings to herself (although he wished he knew). Almost opposite to Aryll.

Wait...Aryll!

He waved his hand in front of Tetra to get her attention, and in an instant, she snapped out of whatever she was thinking and looked up at him.

"Tetra. Need to go."

"Why?"

"M-My sister. I promised I would come back to her."

"Right… You can't stay any longer, can you…"

He shook his head, not wanting to seem as if he wanted to avoid her all of a sudden. She lifted him up in her arms again and snuck past the rest of the Pirates once more, although the room was much quieter from much of them drinking themselves into slumber.

They arrived on deck again, and as they approached the edge, he caught a glimpse of the water below. A cold breeze blew against his face, and he realized how much he was going to miss Tetra. But then again he'd also be with Aryll again. He wasn't sure yet if he should tell her about how he went on a human ship though.

Tetra hung him over the edge hesitantly. "So can I just, y'know…". He nodded, while her arms gently tossed him overboard, and felt himself falling, the ocean approaching faster and faster. He looked up, and for a split second could see her looking back at him before the saltwater swallowed him.

Link dove down, feeling much more mobile in the sea than being confined to a container in the middle of Tetra's room. But he still missed it. He missed being in Tetra's arms, because he was so wary on land, he felt… safety in them. Being strong would be nice. You know you can protect yourself, and you can do more things. At least that's what he thought. If he could, he would protect her too, but one look at himself diminished all his hopes. His claws couldn't even cut through that net from before, and he wasn't muscular like Tetra. If Link knew, it was because he didn't get 3 meals everyday like she did, but he still felt like it was him to blame. Sure, he saved her from drowning, but _anyone_ could do that, right? You don't need muscle for that.

Keeping his tail at a steady pace, he started clicking his tongue, calling out for Aryll. He told her before he left to come back to the area where the reef started. Link looked around patiently, waiting for a click back. All the while thinking about what he should say to her.

His head shot up as he heard a click to his right. A few feet under him was another mermaid, smaller in size. Her tail was lighter in color with a few dark spots here and there. Her hair was shorter and a little lighter than Link's, but she still had the same dark eyes that he had. A rush of clicks and chirps erupted from the two.

 _Big brother! You're back!_

 _I told you I would come back. Are you alright? Did you get hurt?_

 _No, no. But where were you? I feel like you're leaving me by myself more now._ A small pout could be seen on the little girl's face.

 _I was...meeting a friend,_ he said finally.

 _A friend!? Who are they!? I wanna meet them too! Are they nice? I want to see them right now!_

 _Aryll… it's a human._

Her expression dropped into something more serious.

 _They're really nice I swear! And they showed me their boat! It's so weird and interesting inside!_

 _Link, remember what mommy said? She said that she saw another mermaid get pulled onto a boat with humans on it. And that was when you were a little baby. She told us she never saw that mermaid again! Aren't you scared!? What if your "friend" wants to hurt you!?_

 _She-she doesn't look like she wants to…_

 _A she?_

 _It's the girl who rescued me from the net._

…

 _If-If she wanted to hurt me, wouldn't she do it when I was trapped?_

 _Brother, I'm sorry..._

 _Tetra's so nice. She's pretty too. And she's strong. I like that._

 _I believe you a little, but I am still worried. Just remember what mommy said. Pretty please?_

 _Ok, I will. I promise._

A small smile escaped from her lips. Their mother said that to protect them, and she wanted to make sure they followed what she said. Otherwise, if she was still around, she would probably feel bad that they didn't listen.

 _Brother, I'm hungry._

 _Me too. But remember, don't go after the very colorful fish. They're poisonous._

 _I knooooow._

If he could chuckle, he would. But all there was was a small stream of bubbles that came from his mouth. He reached for her hand, and they swam down to the coral reef together.

* * *

Tetra wiped her brow and sighed. The previous moments she had were still fresh in her mind, playing over and over. But the moment that played the most was when the merboy called her beautiful. The last time she was called beautiful was by her mother. That was her mother of course, and it was obviously because Tetra was her daughter. She was gone now, and it _felt_ like she had gotten past it, when in reality she was just forgetting. But now, she was being called beautiful by someone other than her mother. Someone who she had met only recently, and yet they found her beautiful. It was difficult to comprehend something so simple to others, but the feeling she got from it was nice all the same. If it was any other boy, she'd probably laugh it off and say they never would have a chance with her. Tetra was bound to the sea; that's where she would always stay. Not on an isolated island with some boy.

She felt it was a little bit of an insult to call him simple minded, but that's what she believed Link to be. A curious person who acted more like a newborn puppy then something that resembled a human. But he wasn't annoying, really. Just not used to certain things. Tetra tried to make it sound least insulting to him, because in her mind it felt wrong to her.

She sat down on her bed. Her arms were worn out, but at least it wasn't the worst she'd gone through. Sometimes if they encounter other pirates she would end up in a fight lasting for hours, cutlass in hand. Tetra still had it with her, having dropped it on deck before she got knocked overboard. Even though she still had it, which was obviously better than losing it altogether, it was a bit frightening that she had dropped it so easily.

Starting to change into her nightclothes, her mind shifted toward Link again, as it always did. She was starting to fantasize. About where he came from and what was happening to his kind. Being surrounded by other people was normal to her, but to have your kind die out was… She couldn't imagine your mother dying with the constant worrying on top of you that you'll be next. Wasn't his sister his only company? Tetra wanted to assume that. She liked to think that she was making an impact on his life by socializing and talking to him.

She sat down on her bed and proceeded to blow out the candle that was illuminating the room. Immediately, she was surrounded by the comforting darkness. Her eyes closed, content for once.

That night she dreamed. She dreamed that she was in the ocean, and she never pointed out how she was somehow able to breathe. At first it was nice being in the water, but she felt an unfamiliar sense of dread. It was only until she realized the surface straying away that she realized she was sinking. But, where was the water pressure? She couldn't feel it pressing against her. Tetra waited for something to catch her, waited for _someone_ to catch her. It didn't faze her that she was expecting to be rescued by something, when usually she could very well handle herself.

No one came, and she began to panic. She slowly descended, slow enough to see the water getting darker; she was going deeper. Soon enough she would be at the bottom, never to see daylight again, with only the dead drowned corpses of other unfortunate people who fell at mercy of the sea. No no, she didn't belong there! The sea was her home, it was where she felt comfort. It was where she'd been raised, and yet, she fell at mercy to it.

Light was a distant thing up above her now, no bigger than a full moon. It was colder down here. How was she sinking? She wasn't supposed to sink, she was supposed to float up above, back to where her life was. Back home. But she lost her hope now. Getting back home was impossible. A pathetic fate she would have now, at mercy of her passion.

Eyes darted open as she felt her heart beat so furiously it was hurting. Tetra could practically feel it against her ribcage. Her bed and sheets were soaked in sweat, along with a layer coating herself. She slowly got up from bed, feeling hot and sluggish. There was no way she was going to sleep after that nightmare. Her hair was untidy and knotted, but she'll fix it later. Tetra walked past the dark halls of her ship hearing loud snores from the crew, all of them finally submitted to the alcohol. It was probably really early in the morning, but she liked to think that it was about time.

The night air was cool and mildly breezy, which felt like heaven to her. But that still wasn't enough. Grabbing a rope, she tied a sturdy knot around the mast of the ship and threw the rest overboard. When that was done, she finally jumped into the water below.

The water was slightly chilly, but that only made it better. She could feel the beads of sweat dissipate, and her heart was slowing down too. Her hair was no longer matted and messy, because now the water weighed down her hair. These were the only times other than sleeping would she release her bun; otherwise it would get in her face a lot, on top of the fact that it felt just a tad on the girly side. Tetra couldn't imagine a girl having their hair straight down in everyday life.

When she felt like she was done soaking, she reached out for the rope that was tied to the ship. No longer exhausted from yesterday, she was able to climb with a vice grip once again. Her feet were calloused just like her hands- lined with rough and scarred skin, so she didn't need to worry about splinters or anything. Tetra heaved herself over the edge of the boat, and wound up the rope to put it back next to the door that led below deck.

Still not sleepy, she sat on the bow of the ship to relax. The moon was dim, and yet there were still no signs of the sun yet. The breeze was drying her off, and as much as she wanted to put the dream behind her, she couldn't forget it. It was a dream where she actually remembered every detail. She wondered why she wanted someone to save her. Maybe it was her own insecurities getting at her, insisting that she was not strong enough to protect herself. The pirate was curious as to what it meant, but would equally believe that the dream didn't mean anything at all, and was just her brain trying to scare her. Whatever it was, she didn't want to have it again. She hated feeling defenseless. In the nightmare, she had no control over the fact that she was sinking, and was forced to await help, in her perspective.

Tetra wanted to talk to Link about this, but she doubted he'll understand. After all, he probably never really had dreams. Being a creature that was supposed to survive in open water, he was probably like a dolphin. Half brain asleep, half awake. This caused her to frown, and reminded her that she never really had… well, a friend. No one to really relate to. There was the crew, but they were more of underfigures to her, with only helpful advice every now and then. Tetra was always being fed constantly by adventure and greed, and friends weren't of that much importance to her. But every now and then, she'd always wonder what it would be like to be able to pour your feelings out to someone anytime you want, instead of bottling them up until the cork burst.


	6. Chapter 6

**So so sorry for the major wait. I wasn't able to have much time on my hands because of projects and all that junk, but now I'm a little more free. I'm currently working on another Telink fic, which is also causing the delays. Sorry about that, but the other fic is definitely going to be really long, and I'll probably have to split it into multiple chapters when it was originally intended to be a oneshot. Also, the plot finally thickens.**

A dark shadow covered a portion of the sea, and there was no denying it was a boat. When Link surfaced a little, he could see that this boat was larger than Tetra's. A few pirates were managing the sails and cleaning, nothing too unusual. He stared at them for a while, marveling at how swiftly they swung from the ropes. He could only see the top, but that was enough to spark curiosity into his mind again. Thoughts in his brain swam through his mind, and he realized this was another one of those times he wished he was human. It wasn't something he wanted terribly, but he was always wondering what it'd be like. Being able to enjoy the wind through hair without worrying about drying out, or enjoying the activities and games that humans did for fun.

But the most he wanted out of being human was the lack of worry. If he was human, he wouldn't need to survive every day. He could be just like Tetra. He could be with Tetra. A pirate wandering the seas for adventure. That would be wonderful. But alas, he remembered once again that he was not born as a human, but a mermaid. Almost completely unaware of his dwindling numbers, he always thought there were more of his kind that just lived elsewhere. Maybe him and Aryll were just strays, far, far away from possible others. There had to be more merpeople, right?

He stared at the pirates for a bit longer, not realizing that he was slowly drifting closer to the boat. Link's senses snapped back immediately into his head when one of the pirates shouted and pointed at him. Terrified, he dove into the water until he was sure they couldn't make out his image in the water anymore. He just hoped they weren't going to look for him after this.

* * *

The second time he came Tetra was much more tense and unrelaxed, although he didn't seem to notice at first. Moreso he was focused on seeing her again. Aryll was back where she was last time, so he didn't have to worry that much. All he wanted was to be Tetra's strong arms again, cradling him protectively. With Tetra, he didn't have to worry about trying to survive anymore, instead melt away in conversation.

"Tetra! I'm back! I missed you."

A smirk shone on her face. "So you did."

"I saw other pirates Tetra. Their boat was BIG!" He flailed his arms around to show her.

"Mhm. There are other pirates out there, I know." She smiled. "But I'm the best one out of them all."

His face lit up at this. "Really? Is it because you're strong?"

"Part of the reason, yeah. But I'm also smart."

He settled back in the barrel and looked down. "I wish I was strong, like you."

* * *

Tetra frowned a little at this. "You don't need to be strong to be happy." He's beautiful… "Being strong can mean a lot of things." He's gorgeous… "Maybe you're smart enough to survive, or being sad won't stop you from what you want to do." His tail shines even in the dim light… "Maybe you really are strong, you just don't know it."

And he faced her again, hope lighting up his face. Link was beautiful, and often only describable in her own thoughts. Some would say she was in love, definitely, but did she admire his inner qualities? He didn't have many from what she's seen before. A lot of curiosity, compassionate, and caring. Did she love him for that? Tetra felt it would be unfair to say she was in love with him just from what he looked like. Anyone could look admirable.

But there was one thing he showed through his actions and words, not his looks, that broke through the skin of doubt. He saved her. He saved her life after that octorok nearly drowned her. And there was no way you couldn't appreciate that. Not only did he save her though, Link admired her. He looked up to her for her strength and beauty. It was an understatement to say she was charmed by this.

She couldn't doubt it anymore. Tetra had fallen in love.

* * *

"Tetra? Are you okay?" He noticed that she was staring out into space, probably in deep thought.

He was glad when her attention was back towards him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Oh, that's good."

She let her sight wander again until the noise of the curtains was heard. Link was so shocked with fright that his nerves sent a bursting jolt through his body. He couldn't even hide before a scrawny man rushed in the room.

"Miss Tetra! A rat bit Gonzo on the nose and he's BLEEDING! Ya gotta see thi-"

The little man stopped before he could finish. His eyes were set on Link's face, and the fact that there was a half naked boy in a barrel with a large blue tail protruding out.

"Miss, who-"

He could practically hear her hiss between clenched teeth. Now Niko, I can explain."

"Who the hell is he!?"

He sunk down even further in the barrel while feeling even more cramped. The only thing he saw now was Tetra clenching her arms the man's shoulders.

"Niko," she half whispered. "He is mermaid who saved my life. Remember when I got knocked overboard? He rescued me. And I've been talking to him ever since. Now please please, do not spill this secret out to everyone else."

"I-I don't-"

"I am trusting you with this, Niko."

"Y-You have my word miss…"

"Good, you may go." Her iron grip released from his shoulders, no doubt there would be a bruise there.

Niko got a good look at what he could see of Link before he walked off, completely forgetting what he originally asked of her.

"I'm… sorry," she whispered. "You don't really belong here." She wasn't even half sure if he would actually keep it a secret or not.

"It's okay. I'm okay. Just don't let him do bad things to me like what happened to that other mermaid." He emerged his head again after Tetra closed the curtains once more.

She looked up at him with concern. "What other mermaid?"

Link realized that Tetra didn't know about the other mermaid he saw when he was younger, and he also realized he'd made a drastic mistake. Should he tell her? Should he tell her that he was taught by his mother to avoid humans? But he reminded himself: this was Tetra. He could trust her. So he took a deep breath and looked to the side.

"When I was little, before my mother died, she saw a bunch of men drag another mermaid onto their boat. Only she saw, though. Ever since that time she always warned me and my sister to not approach humans. Now she's gone, but I still don't listen to her," he said sadly, toying with the Pirate's Charm around his neck.

Tetra was silent for a bit, but then she spoke. "The sea is cruel. Many humans are cruel. I'm glad you found me and not some heartless gold digger." _Or some sick pervert…_ The thought made her shiver, and she didn't like to admit that something on that level was possible in a sick, twisted world such as this.

The merboy nodded, his eyes still on the Pirate's Charm. His fingers ran along the surface of the turquoise stone, tracing the twine that held it in place. When he grasped it in his hand, it completely disappeared under the webbing, save for the sinew that was around his neck.

* * *

When Niko arrived back in the barracks, oblivious stares were sent at young man. Gonzo was holding his nose with a handkerchief that was already beginning to soak with blood.

"Weren't you supposed to get Tetra? Where were you?" Senza finally said.

Apparently, he was in some sort of daze, because when that was said, Niko jumped as if that terrified him.

"I-I...well she was busy!"

"With what? Did you see?"

"No! Of course not…"

"Somethin' tells me you're hidn' somethin' from us, Niko."

"I am not!"

"Tell us and we'll clean the docks for you."

"No way!" He gasped and covered his ears.

"We can't let someone like you disrespecting the Miss's privacy y'know."

Niko looked like he was about to burst. His face was red and his hands were gripping his ears tightly. "SHE HAS A MERMAID!" he blurted out.

"I don't believe you," muttered Mako.

"It's true! I swear by the goddesses it's true but she didn't want me telling you and now I disrespected the captain and now she's gonna kill me-"

"What did she look like?"

Niko paused and sniffed. "I-It's a he. Blue tail, blonde hair. And black eyes…"

"No way…" one of them said.

"Why would she hide this from us?" Gonzo finally said.

"I-I don't know! I don't know how long she hid it from us. She begged me not to tell you guys. Please please please don't tell her I told you."

The pirates were silent, until Nudge finally nodded. "We won't."

* * *

After Link returned back to his home in the sea, Tetra was back in her room left to reconcile her thoughts.

She didn't love Link in a creepy way, she was sure of it. She simply found him beautiful; both inside and out.

 _What do you do when you're in love?_

Tetra remembered the stories her mother and the pirates had read to her when she a young child. The princess and the prince fall in love after he rescues her.

 _"But they both fall in love at the same time…"_ she thought. _"I'm the only one who's really in love."_ Link admired her, but he didn't love her. Could a merboy like him even love? This made her brain hurt to the point of almost a headache. So she left herself to look at the fact that Niko discovered about Link.

 _I can't believe it._ She looked at her rough hands in shame. _I let one of my crew see the one truly special thing I was supposed to keep a secret. Not only for me, but for someone else… dear to me._

Link had asked her sincerely not to let her crew see him, and yet she did. Sure, he said it was okay, after, but it was clear to her this was very important to him. Being seen could mean other humans seeing out to trap or kill him.

Head aching and mind racing, she pulled up her lime green covers and fell into an uneasy sleep.


End file.
